1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrolytic test machine, and particularly, to an electrolytic test machine including a) an electrolytic cell in which an electrolytic liquid is stored, b) an electrode mounted in a vertical direction in the electrolytic liquid, and c) a harmful gas treating device for treating a harmful gas generated around the electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
The above electrolytic test machine is used, for example, for a cathode peel-off test for a coating film (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.195612/1995). This test is carried out using an aqueous solution of NaCl as an electrolytic liquid. The test is carried out such that the polarity of a test material is set at a negative polarity (i.e., as a cathode), while the polarity of the electrode is set at a positive polarity (i.e., as an anode). Therefore, a chlorine gas, which is a harmful gas, is generated on the side of the electrode with electrolysis of the aqueous solution of NaCl.
A simple chlorine gas treating device has been devised. The device includes an exhaust fan for exhausting a chlorine gas released from the aqueous solution of NaCl and flowing within the electrolytic cell, and an adsorbing member for adsorbing the exhausted chlorine gas.
With the above chlorine gas treating device, however, the entire opening in the electrolytic cell must be tightly sealed, resulting in a complicated sealing structure.
In addition, with the above chlorine gas treating device, it is impossible to inhibit the production of NaClO in the aqueous solution of NaCl and the dissolution of the chlorine gas into the aqueous solution of NaCl. As a result, the coating film of the test material is whitened by a bleaching effect of NaClO, and the appearance of the coating film is considerably different from a corroded state in a natural environment. Another problem that arises is that the concentration of chlorine in the aqueous solution of NaCl is increased and hence, an irritant odor is generated during replacement of the test material or during replacement of the aqueous solution of NaCl which degrades the working environment.
Further, in the above chlorine gas treating device, an abnormality may be produced in the exhaust system in some cases. The abnormalities of this type include problems with the exhaust fan, clogging of the adsorbing member, forgetting to mount a new adsorbing member after removal of the clogged adsorbing member, and the like. When an abnormality occurs in the exhaust system, the abnormality must immediately be detected and corrected.